Blog Hop! Don't Miss Your "Last Chance" to Get Retiring Products

Welcome back to our Blog Hop! Was it just me, or did April fly by super fast? I could hardly believe it when Julie reminded me that it was time again to get our blog hop posts ready again! This last week, Stampin Up released this year's list of retiring products in anticipation of the brand-spankin'-new catalog that launches in just one month! (Can ya tell I'm excited? I'm pretty darn excited.) Thanks to Julie, who went to a catalog premiere party, I got to see the catalog early -- and let me tell you, it's SO GOOD! I'm really excited for all the new products and accessories that are coming out.

But at the same time, I'm sad to see some of the great stamps and accessories I love go on the retiring list. So this blog hop is a chance to say "farewell" to some of the great stuff that will be retiring. I'll be showcasing the "Simply Stars" set, along with some of the word sets that are going away as well. Be sure to check out the other blogs in the hop to see what they're saying goodbye to, as well.

***These stamp sets are only available
 until June 4 -- and only while supplies last! -- 
so get them before they're gone!***

This first card is a simple baby card in soft pinks and blues. The greeting is from "Cuddles & Kisses" set which is, sadly, also retiring come June 1.

It's a little hard to tell, but this card is Real Red and Crumb Cake. It's showing you the Simply Stars set as well as the Bring on the Cake set, which is also retiring. I colored in the letters with our blender pens.

I made some simple color changes to make the card from above more girly. This Melon Mambo and Whisper White card shows off a few retiring products: the Simply Stars set, the Bring on the Cake set, and (sad!) the Melon Mambo embossing powder, which you can kinda see on the pink stars here.

Oh, and the embossing in the background of the pink card there? You may want to keep an eye out for that one. Just sayin'. It's pretty darn cute. 

Thanks for stopping by the Hop again this month! As always, Pins, comments, and shares are appreciated. And be sure to grab your favorite retiring products before they're gone for good! Feel free to contact me with questions or if you want to place an order. Hop through to see everyone else's great projects, too, of course!

My Digital Studio Blog Hop (And a Bonus Recipe!)

Welcome to another edition of our fabulous We Create Blog Hop! This month, we're showcasing a product that may be new to some of you, but maybe an old friend to others: My Digital Studio! My Digital Studio ("MDS" for short) is Stampin' Up's digital creating program. It allows you to make cards, photo books, swatch books, posters, invitations, and whatever else you might dream up without making a mess of your craft room! How amazing is that?

Now, I have to be honest: MDS was a hard sell for me. I'm just too much of a hands-on crafter! A few times before I've, rather grudgingly, made projects on MDS (like this one) -- usually at the prompting of other Demonstrators who just LOVE the program. I was always happy with how the projects turned out, in the end.

And even though the program is only $20, I've been a stinker and only ever downloaded the free trial. (Personally, I would have rather put the $20 toward a new stamp set. Or so I thought, but I'll get to that in a minute.) Today's project, a recipe swap swatch book, was also made entirely with stuff available in the free trial of MDS, along with some fonts I downloaded from Google Fonts (such a fun site! At least for a typography nerd like me) and some word art from online.

This is my very own recipe for High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Isn't it adorable?! I freaking LOVE how this recipe card turned out. The best part? Since this was a swap, my little swatch book is now FULL of a variety of gorgeous and delicious-sounding recipes! There's talk of doing more recipe swaps in the future, and if that's the case . . . well, then I may just have to "invest" the $20 and get the full version of MDS for myself!

Thanks for "hopping" on by to see my MDS project! Try out the banana bread recipe sometime and let me know how it goes for you. And be sure to check out the rest of the hop by clicking through to the rest of the lovely ladies' blogs. As always, we love comments, shares, and Pins!

Coastal Cabana Challenge Cards

Today, I got together with Julie again after a long stamping hiatus and made a few quick, simple cards. Both cards feature Coastal Cabana, a super-fun In Color.

The "Congratulations" card is for my friend Jessica, who is expecting twins! On the inside, it says "Woohoo! It's two!" The elegant design and the rhinestone remind me so much of Jessica, so this card is just perfect for her.

The second card is a thank-you to Kaitlin, who recently joined my Stamping newsletter and has come to a few of my classes. (Hi, Kaitlin!) The fun paper on the bottom is from the Spring catalog - the "Fresh Prints Designers Series Paper Stack". It's also the same paper I used on the LOVE banner. The layout comes from this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge. Such a simple layout makes the greeting really pop, don't you think?

Supplies

Stamps: Beautifully Baroque, Cuddles and Kisses, and a special photopolymer stamp set just for Demonstrators! (Sorry)

Paper: Coastal Cabana cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, and Fresh Prints DSP

Ink: Coastal Cabana - that's it!

Accessories: Real Red stitched ribbon, Dimensionals, Basic Jewel Rhinestones

Promotion Playtime - "We Create" Blog Hop

Welcome back! This month, we wanted to show you some of the great products that are available outside of our traditional catalog. Sometimes these fun offerings are overlooked, but they are too awesome to miss out on!

My projects use a few products from our Sale-a-Bration catalog that you can earn for FREE for every $50 you spend this month. Yep, for every $50 you spend, you get to chose a FREE item from the SAB mini catalog! (check out the sidebar for more info!) 

I started with a simple outline, inspired by Pinterest.

The banner "string" between pennants was simply drawn
in with the Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write marker - easy!

This simple, cute card uses the Banner Blast set and coordinating punch from the SAB catalog, as well as one of our new totally clear photopolymer stamps. The photopolymer stamps take some getting used to, but they do give a super-sharp image, as you can see above with the "Thank You." A little Cherry Cobbler baker's twine and a "string" (drawn with the Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker) finish off the card. Love!

Then I moved on to a more-involved card. This one uses the same stamps and punches as the first, but I also used our super-fun Envelope Punch Board! You can use the punch board to make a custom envelope in pretty much any size, and it's so easy!

As you can see, I also added some DSP to this card, as well as using the polka-dot Textured Embossing Folder from the SAB catalog. I LOVE that the embossing folder coordinates so well with the pattern on one of the pennant stamps! (The orange one on the right end). I went through about 5 different color/paper/texture combinations before finally settling on this one, so now I have a bunch of itty-bitty envelopes laying around -- oh darn!  ;)  The layout for this card, and the instructions for the custom-sized envelope, were found over on Julie Kettlewell's blog.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Be sure to check out the rest of the ladies in the Hop, and don't miss out on all these great products!!

It's Time to "Sale-A-Brate" - We Create Blog Hop

Thanks for stopping by this month's We Create Blog Hop! This month, we are super-duper excited because it's time for SALE-A-BRATION! In case you haven't heard before, Sale-a-bration is our biggest sale of the year. For every $50 you spend in Stampin Up product, you get a FREE product of your choice from the SAB catalog. You can check out the Sale-a-bration catalog here (it's also in the sidebar). This deal is available until March 31 -- so you've got plenty of time to look at all the pretty things and fill up your wish list!

For today's blog hop, we're all featuring some of the fun products you can earn for free during this great promotion! I first saw the banner stamp set & coordinating punch, and I love them! I also got the fun polka-dotted Textured Embossing Folder, which is just so festive!

I made this cute card tonight, and I intended for it to be brighter, like a birthday card. But it turned out a bit more pastel and calm, so it's more like a "Welcome Baby" card -- I guess you could still say it's a *birth*day card! (Please forgive the horrible pun -- I've been fighting bronchitis and I'm on some strong meds right now. ... Yeah, I'm gonna blame the meds, because I would never make a horrible pun like that normally..... nope....)

I intended to make a cute bag topper to go with this card, and make it a card-and-gift combo, but my creative juices ran out and it just didn't happen tonight. Oh well, maybe next time.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Blog Hop to get inspiration for all the other Sale-a-bration offerings! There are so many great products; you don't want to miss out! Contact me if you ever have any questions or want to host a party. I'm always up for a party!